Sparkling Christmas
by Hazelnut
Summary: A Christmas ball, a sip of sweetened tea, a waltz under the twinkling stars...will these pieces of memory weave out a web of magic for him and her? A wonderous tale intertwined with soft wisps of love and grace...Enjoy. [RyoSaku]
1. Chapter One: The News

A bead of sweat slid down Ryuzaki Sakuno's cheek as her face flushed under the intense heat. Her long braided hair leapt with each swing of her racquet and her tanned skin gleamed under the sun as a result of hours of tennis practices.

The worn tennis ball bounced repeatedly against the wall, making a rhythmic thudding sound in the deserted tennis court. The faint afternoon sun shone warmly upon the girl as she caught the ball in one hand and tried to catch her breath.

_Still...not as good as him...obviously..._ The corners of her mouth lifted as a warm light, which had nothing to do with the sun, glowed within the depth of her eyes.

_Not that anyone can possibly be as good as him..._ Sakuno let out a small laugh as she clearly pictured the familiar figure in her mind. Tightening her grip on the tennis ball, she replayed his graceful moves on the court inside her brain. The sudden pang on the inside of her chest was all too familiar...

It has already been two years and yet the longest he has ever looked at her was about 5 seconds. She wonders if he even notices her when they walk past each other. From her point of view he takes no more interest in her than he would in a lamp post.

Sakuno sighed as she gazed at the drawing on the tennis ball in her hand...the boy wearing a cap seemed to stare back, yet his eyes were blank and expressionless.

_Just like how he has always looked at me, ever since I first met him in my first year in Junior High_. Sakuno thought bitterly, and perhaps he always will.

Sliding the furry cover back over her tennis racquet, the girl collected her belongings from the bench nearby.

_Does my presence even affect you at all, Ryoma-kun...?_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakuno stood, annoyed, at the door to her classroom as the huge crowd of girls in front of her chatted and giggled excitedly despite her stares. Having had three unsuccessful attempts already at walking around the loud group of bubbly girls, she was reluctantly but seriously considering a fourth.

"Sakuno! S-Sakuno!" Sakuno caught sight of an arm waving madly in the middle of the troop of girls but she had no way to see its owner, who was well sheltered from sight by a thick wall of Seigaku girls' uniform.

Sakuno sighed and walked away from the door, by that time simply giving up on the idea of entering the classroom.

"S-Sakuno! I-I've just received the latest news!" Two bouncy pigtails popped up in front of Sakuno's face as Tomoka practically screamed into her ear, still breathless from squeezing out of the pack of girls still blocking up the classroom door.

"W-What is it?" Even though Sakuno really isn't one for gossips, her eyes widened at the sight of Tomoka's untidy hair and flushed cheeks from the excitement clearly shown in her voice.

"T-There is going to be a school ball...a Christmas ball...on Christmas Eve...at the school hall..." Tomoka panted, clutching her chest dramatically.

"Err...ok...what's the theme?" Sakuno tried to hide the growing discomfort growing within her mind.

"..F-Fairytale! And since its a ball you must find a date which means that all the girls will be asking Ryoma-sama which means he will be surrounded, TOTALLY surround by girls until he decides on who he's going with which means I won't be able to get close to him for at least a week-" Words tumbled non-stop out of Tomoka's mouth like a magnificent waterfall... it should really be included in the "Seven Wonders" of Seigaku…although she guess it wouldn't be much of a wonder after three years of constant viewing.

_Fairytale...? What an original idea..._Sakuno thought sarcastically. _Now all the girls are going to dress up as princesses and fairies just to please Ryoma-kun..._

Sakuno was roused from her thoughts when she heard a great crescendo of screams and looked up just in time to see a head of emerald green hair disappear under masses of shoving arms and bobbing heads.

_Looks like I won't be able to see him for a while either._ Sakuno smiled bitterly and walked into the classroom, which is now free of any girls since all of them had rushed out to the corridor as soon as Echizen Ryoma appeared.

_Great, just great, there's a ball coming up and he still hasn't even seen me._ Sakuno's eyes lingered on the massive group of girls now blocking up the entire corridor and thought she saw a flash of golden eyes in the gap between two girls' waists, but the gap was soon covered by more girls joining the wrestling group of females.

She sat down and took out her Mathematics textbook, but was distracted once again by a heavy thud on the seat behind her. As if it had all been planned in perfect timing, she 'coincidentally' turned her head and met the gaze of no other than Echizen Ryoma. Although unwilling, she blushed slightly as his golden eyes bored into hers while he panted heavily after the near-impossible escape.

"G-Good morning, Ryoma-kun" Sakuno broke the silence which seemed to last forever but was, in fact, only ten seconds.

Ryoma merely responded to her greeting with a small grunt.

Sakuno smiled, trying to hide the disappointment showing on her face, and turned back her head towards the direction of the teacher who had just shut the door in the face of the group of girls still looking eagerly into the classroom.

_Such a Ryoma-like response...and yet...so unsatisfying._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ryuzaki-san...will you go to t-the b-ball with me?" A fair-looking boy asked nervously, his eyes shone upon Sakuno with hope.

"Umm...I-I'm sorry...but...I'm not planning to go..." Sakuno murmured, still slightly shocked by the fact that someone has asked her.

"Oh...no, no it's ok..." The boy quickly stopped her when he saw that she was about to apologize again. "Ahh...how I envy Echizen! I bet he worries about who he should go to the ball with!" He laughed.

Sakuno felt her heart gave another pang at the mention of his name and laughed as well, not at the comment but at her own foolishness.

"Well then, thanks anyway!" The boy smiled and gave a cheery wave.

Sakuno smiled and waved back, then she started in the direction of the boys' tennis club. _Why did I even refuse...? Am I so stupid as to hope that a miracle would happen and Ryoma-kun would ask me?_ Her naivety was truly hopeless.

"Hey Sakuno! You going to Ryoma-sama's match this afternoon?" Sakuno turned to wait for her friend as Tomoka caught up behind her.

"Yeah...I have to...my grandma is the coach remember? She promised to drive me home today..." Sakuno replied.

"Right! I'm cheering him on as well! Those goddamn brothers of mine have a babysitter until 6!" Tomoka smiled gleefully and suddenly pointed at court B, all the while jumping up and down with excitement. "He's there! He's over_ there_! Ryoma-sama!"

Sakuno laughed at her friend's exaggerated moves and soon found herself being dragged to the place outside the wires behind where her grandma was sitting.

"Ah, Sakuno! Came to cheer Ryoma on have you?" Ryuzaki-sensei saw her granddaughter standing behind her with a very hyper Tomoka screaming words of encouragement to Ryoma at the top of her lungs.

"Grandma...! How...how is he doing?" Sakuno felt her cheeks growing pink just from hearing her grandma's teasing words and watching Ryoma play under the shimmering sunlight.

"Well...you really needn't ask me, it's quite obvious how he is doing." Ryuzaki-sensei laughed lightly as Ryoma scored yet another point, making the match 5-0. Sakuno smiled and felt the familiar admiration sweep over her as she watched Ryoma's arm muscles ripple with the after effect of a twist serve.

"Oh yeah, Sakuno! There's a ball coming up isn't there?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked casually.

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah...there is..." Sakuno answered half-heartedly as her eyes followed Ryoma as he walked back towards them, having just finished the match with an easy 6-0. Ryuzaki-sensei eyed her granddaughter with an evil gleam in her eyes and waved Ryoma over. While, completely unaware that an unforgivable plan was forming inside her grandma's mind, Sakuno fumbled in her school bag as Ryoma walked closer.

"Ryoma-kun! H-Here..." Her fingers closed around a can of Ponta Grape and stuffed it through a hole in the wires. Two years of watching Ryoma closely clearly hadn't come to waste.

"...thanks." Ryoma coolly took it after a brief hesitation and gulped the cool liquid down his dry throat as Sakuno quietly watched, failing at an attempt to hide a satisfied smile.

"...Ryoma! You played well! How were the other regulars in the school team?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked purposefully.

"They still have lots more to work on." Ryoma coldly replied with his infamous saying.

"Oh? Quite confident are you, Captain? Well, well... then I'm guessing you've got a date for the ball already?" Ryuzaki-sensei's eyes glittered with mischief as Ryoma's shoulders stiffened, obviously caught off-guard. "...no." He always replies with the shortest answer possible, without explanation of any kind.

Sakuno's heart leapt and her head shot up as she looked at Ryoma in surprise. _What? After being surrounded by flirting girls whose purpose is easily detected...it's impossible that he hasn't tried to get rid of them by simply agreeing to a random invitation thrown at him..._

Yet the boy's face remained expressionless as he drank up the last drop of Ponta.

"Have you? Sakuno?" Ryuzaki-sensei turned towards her granddaughter who was still staring unbelievably at Ryoma.

"...err...no...h-hang on... Grandma! You're not thinking...you can't...I-" Unfortunately, when Sakuno had finally realised what her grandmother was plotting, it was a split second too late.

"Why don't you go with Sakuno, Ryoma?" Ryuzaki-sensei suggested innocently, chuckling when Sakuno choked on her last sentence of "I'm not planning to go".

Ryoma threw the empty can of Ponta into a bin which was 3 metres away with dead accuracy and adjusted his white cap under three pairs of intense eyes. "Did I even say that I'm going?"

Sakuno looked away as the cold words stung her eyes, making tears well up in the sockets. She held them back and was just planning to walk away when she caught sight of Ryoma lowering his cap and smirking.

"...But since there will probably be a constant supply of Ponta...I'll go."

Sakuno's head turned back when she couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"And you will go with Sakuno?" Ryuzaki-sensei smiled; obviously this was going just as she had planned.

"...if she doesn't mind me getting dragged away by other girls all the time." Ryoma lowered his cap again, hiding his eyes from view. Yet his smirk hadn't left his lips.

Sakuno felt Tomoka gasp beside her and she felt like doing the same. Yet at that moment fainting seemed more suitable. She clutched the wires with both hands and had an instant urge to rip it apart and rush through into the courts to hug her grandma for thinking up of this brilliant plan. She was so shocked even the loud squeals of Tomoka beside her were blocked out from her brain. She simply stared after Ryoma as he walked away towards the boys changing room after he had waved a hand in response to Ryuzaki-sensei's suggestion of "7 o'clock at our house!".

However, Sakuno was soon snapped back into reality when she saw her grandma laughing at her expression and saying "Now to decide what character to dress you up in and how to fend off his fan club from strangling you..."


	2. Chapter Two: The Ball

Having survived one week of glaring from every girl in the Ryoma Fanclub, which is practically three quarters of all girls in Seigaku Junior High, Sakuno was relieved to find the Christmas ball only one hour away. She gazed at herself in the mirror as she put on the final touches of makeup. The deep purple dress which her grandmother had sewed together from pieces in their costumes box fitted her perfectly. The rich velvety material was lined with shimmering lavender silk and silver droplets of glass trickled down her chest, making her gown glimmer like twilight. A string of rosy pearls lay at her throat and matcing earrings hang from her earlobes. Her waist-length hair was braided into a long plait intertwined with a silk lavender ribbon which formed great contrast with her chocolate coloured hair.

Sakuno laughed lightly at her reflection. _Rapunzel...such a suitable character... _Slowly, she stood up. Trying not to trip over the folds of her gown, she stepped down the staircase just as the doorbell pierced the silence.

_Haha...here goes! _Sakuno smiled nervously and turned the doorknob of the front door, meeting the deep eyes of Ryoma, who was obviously brutally forced into a prince costume by his family. His hair still messy from where his dad had probably grabbed to keep him still. However, despite his annoyed look and red marks on his neck, the midieval prince outfit suited him immensely. His height, which had increased greatly over the last two years, gave him an air of proudness and arrogance which matched with the deep purple cloak around his shoulders. Sakuno couldn't take her eyes off him. They stared at eachother for a few seconds, then finally, Ryoma sighed and offered her his arm. Sakuno smiled nervously and took it, feeling panic well up inside her when she felt the firm muscles underneath her fingers.

They did not speak at all during their walk to the school hall, where christmas decorations draped over every inch of the walls and ceiling. There was even a glowing Christmas tree standing in front of the main entrance. Hundreds of light bulbs twinkled between the leaves and the golden star at the top lit up the snow-covered school grounds with a warm yellow light. Sakuno gasped in delight and was just turning to see Ryoma's reaction when a huge group of girls stormed towards them, leaving behind a group of miserable-looking boys standing in the hall. Then, before Sakuno could even guess at what will happen, her arm felt like it was going to be ripped off Ryoma's arm as she was torn away from his side by thousands of other arms. She thought she heard a muffled yell from Ryoma before he was drowned in a sea of silk robes and clanking jewellery. Her ears were still buzzing with screams and shouts of "Ryoma-san!", "Echizen-kun!" and many other variations of his name when she escaped out of the crazy group of scrambling girls. She was hugely relieved to find fresh air after nearly being squeezed to the point of suffocation.

She smiled sadly at the group in from of her, Ryoma now completely invisible from sight. _I see why it didn't matter to him who came to the ball with him...it's not like he would even be able to walk into the hall with her..._ She walked into the hall alone and immediately saw Momoshiro Takeshi standing behind the wine bar. She walked over curiously and laughed when she saw that he was sneaking pieces of cake inside his mouth from behind the counter.

"Yo, Sakuno-chan! Don't you look splendid today!" Momo-senpai caught sight of the girl and talked with his mouth still full of chocolate mud cake.

"Why are you here, Momo-senpai?" Sakuno asked with a smile.

"Me? Oh right...yeah...I volunteered to do the refreshments! Ahhh...how I wish to come back to Jr. High! So many fun things to do..." Then he seemed to suddenly realise that Sakuno was alone. "Where's Echizen?"

Sakuno blushed and asked "H-how did you know I came with-"

"Oooh, come on! _Everyone_ knows that!" Momo-senpai laughed when he saw Sakuno blushing again to a deeper crimson than before. Then he noticed the girls swarming outside the hall and smiled knowingly. "As popular as always, is he? Without Tezuka and Fuji-senpai to compete with as well!" He chuckled but immediately stopped himself when he noticed Sakuno's sad expression. "Don't worry! His fanclub must stop strangling him _sometime_! Just go off and dance with some other guy and make him jealous!"

Sakuno giggled and thanked him. Then she walked over to where Tomoka and Horio was chatting, obviously enjoying eachother's company so much as to not notice that Ryoma had already arrived. And so the rest of the evening soon passed with many abandoned guys asking Sakuno to dance as their girlfriends join the queue of girls waiting and hoping for even half a dance with the "Prince of Tennis". Sakuno also ended up dancing with the guy which had asked her to the ball a week before, which she thought irony as she had danced with nearly all the guys in the hall save the guy who was her date for the night.

At eleven o'clock, after she had seen that Ryoma was still busy with his fanclub (she saw flashes of a green head bobbing among the crowd, and hearing gasps of joy whenever he swapped partners), she walked outside quietly to rest her sore feet and buzzing ears. The freezing wind cooled down her boiling blood in an instant, yet she had no desire to return to the hall where Ryoma will dance with every girl but her. Sakuno sat down by a pond which had frozen and was reflecting the bright lights leaking out from the hall.

The faint silvery moonlight shone upon the slim figure of Sakuno, making her lavender gown glimmer softly against her pale skin. Her long lashes drooped down as signs of tears moistened her eyes and slowly welled up until she had to blink them away. Sakuno had never felt so foolish. She grabbed a handful of glistening snow from the shrub nearby and let it crumble to powder in her palm, making her fingers grow pink from the cold.

"Hold this." A cool voice spoke beside her as something warm touched her hand.

"R-Ryoma-kun! What are you doing out here...?" Sakuno looked up in surprise and gratefully took the warm glass of sweetened tea from him.

"That's my question." He sat down beside her on the edge of the pond with his glass of green tea. Somehow he looked exhausted and clearly still recovering from an entire evening of continuous dancing.

"Errr...well...I-I'm tired and wanted to rest my feet-" at this she gestured to her red and slightly swollen ankel, "-but then I guess this is nothing compared to you." She smiled nervously.

"Yeah well...girls are troublesom...always torturing themselves and wearing high heels when they know they won't even be able to walk home by the end of the night." Ryoma smirked.

It took a while for Sakuno to realise he was talking about her and not of his fanclub. She sipped from the glass, trying to hide her embarrassment as the warm liquid slid down her throat.

Ryoma watched at her, slightly amused as he saw the faint blush creep onto her pale cheeks.

"...How did you even escape? Last time I looked there were still about twenty girls in line!" Sakuno broke the silence and eyed the girls in the hall, clearly still frantically searching for the boy beside her.

"Well...it wasn't hard. Just said something about getting them drinks then slipped away after I got some for myself." He laughed lightly as he remembered the ecstatic expression on their faces when they realised he was to get them drinks.

Sakuno laughed as well, a light twinkling sound like silver bells. Ryoma put down his enpty glass and slowly reached out his hand to hold Sakuno's which was not supporting the drinking glass, then he lifted it to his lips. Sakuno flushed a shade deeper than she had before and opened her mouth in shock, but no sound came out. Ryoma smirked and stood up just as a waltz sounded out from the hall.

"Would you give me the honour of this last waltz?" Still holding her hand in his, Ryoma asked calmly.

"E-err...y-yes, of course" Sakuno, too, stood up and giggled nervously when Ryoma gently pulled her closer to place his hand on her waist. She could hear blood pounding in her ears when Ryoma's peircing eyes locked onto hers and as he led her into a slow dance across the snow. _He...saved the last dance for me...?_

Sakuno's lips curved into a smile as she leaned in closer to whisper in his ear "...Happy Birthday, Ryoma-kun..." and laughed when she felt his whole body jolt. He squeezed her hand and she could almost see him smirk behind her back. "...Thanks."

Yet however hard Sakuno dreads the end of the waltz, as the last note faded, the pair broke apart.

"...Somehow I think we should go before anyone else sees us." Ryoma said in a low voice.

"That will be a good idea." Sakuno smiled when, once again, she saw girls wandering around the hall looking for "The Prince".

Ryoma grabbed her wrist and hurled her towards the gate, then rushed along the darkened streets. Fortunately they were deserted, for the pair would have roused quite much unwanted attention.

When they had finally stopped, it was just a few blocks away from Sakuno's home, and both of them were panting and laughing.

"...b-being famous sure is...difficult...haha..." Sakuno spluttered as she laughed till tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Well...I...didn't want to be...famous..." Ryoma panted. "I'd... rather be a normal tennis player who will only be noticed on courts..."

"What kind of courts? Law courts?" Sakuno laughed.

"Any kind of courts as long as I don't hear squealing everyday..." Ryoma sighed and smoothed his sweat-drenched hair.

"Here...your collar..." Sakuno stepped forward and reached out her hand to fix his coat collar.

"!" Ryoma stared down at Sakuno's thin fingers at an inch from his face with mild surprise, but did not object.

Snowflakes fell softly, soundlessly upon the two.

It seemed to symbolize the end of Christmas, yet also the beginning of a feeling so warm it cannot even be shattered by the bitter cold of winter.


	3. Chapter Three: The Chocolate

A large box of chocolate fell out of Ryoma's school bag as he kelt down to pick up the one he had dropped previously.

He sighed impatiently and scooped both of them up, but just as he was about to stand up another heart-shaped box of chocolate fell to the ground.

A few guys passing by in the corridor gave him an envious look and looked at their own piece of chocolate...tiny and barely visible even on their palms.

_Valentines Day...such a meaningless existence. _Ryoma frowned as he stuffed all the chocolate back into the depth of his bag and securely zipped up the opening.

He swung his tennis bag back over his shoulder just as he caught sight of a flash of the girls' green school uniform moving behind him.

He stopped and couldn't help but heave another sigh. _Here we go again._

"Um...Echizen-san...?" A soft nervous voice sounded behind him.

Ryoma turned around and stared down at a small girl with light brown eyes and short hair trimmed to just above her shoulders. She was trembling slightly as she slowly lifted the object in her hands. It was something Ryoma was getting sick of seeing that day.

"Please...accept my chocolate...?" The girl flushed and lowered her head, trying to avoid eye contact with Ryoma.

Ryoma took the colourful package from the girl's unsteady fingers without a word.

The girl spun around and raced down the corridor, obviously still embarrassed as her face still glowed like an overheated lightbulb.

Ryoma stared at the chocolate in his hand and wondred if he had anymore places to store it. His shoe locker was full of chocolate. His locker in the boys' changing room was overflowing with knitted jumpers and scarves, and his school bag was loaded with crumpled cards and flowers. He ruffled his hair with his hand as he pondered over the problem.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryuzaki Sakuno was also pondering over a problem.

She dared not think about giving the hand-made chocolates hidden inside her bag to Ryoma during class, but now it is lunch break, and she'd better give it to him soon if she wants to do it at all. She bit her lip and took out the carefully wrapped chocolate. The rectangular box was elegantly enfolded in a layer of red silk and golden paper, and upon it lay a small heart-shaped card with "Happy Valentines, Ryoma-kun" written in neat handwriting. She tightened her grip on the delicate box and stood up with a firm expression on her face. Having made up her mind, she walked out and began searching around the school grounds for the familiar white cap.

Sakuno found Ryoma under a tree near the tennis courts, but he wasn't alone.

A pretty girl with large dazzling eyes sat beside Ryoma. Her wavy black hair fell around her shoulders as her twinkling laugh dove shrilly into Sakuno's ear. Sakuno gazed in surprise at the velvety black box in Ryoma's hands which seemed to contain something far more valuable than chocolate. But what surprised Sakuno even more was the smile on his face. It was a relaxed smile which clearly symbolised the ease and comfort he felt with this girl. Sakuno gaped as Ryoma chatted with her, occasionally smiling in response to the girl's questions. Sakuno felt her hands trembling and nearly dropped the chocolate from the shock. _I've never heard that Ryoma-kun was particularly close to any girls before...but then...why shouldn't he be? It wouldn't be surprising even if he just simply chose one out of his fanclub. _Yet despite of her attempts to comfort herself, her throat felt oddly tight and dry. She wanted to leave, but her eyes seemed to have glued itself to the two figures under the tree.

However, the nastiest shock came when the girl suddenly leaned towards Ryoma and kissed him on the cheek.

_S-she..._kissed _him? _Sakuno did drop her box of chocolate this time. It landed by her feet with a soft clatter.

What's more, Ryoma did not seem to care. Sakuno watched speechlessly as he smirked and said something which made the girl giggle with apparent delight. Sakuno could no longer sense her surroundings as blood pounded in her ears and her eyes blurred with tears. She leaned back againest the wall so that the two wouldn't see her, then took several deep breaths. Her mind was completely muddled. She could only lean weakly against the concrete for support, feeling the rough coldness seep through the thin material of her uniform. _What...should I do? Why do I even care anyway? It's obvious he is popular among the girls...but...but I thought...perhaps... he would finally take more notice of me after the ball..._

Sakuno slowly picked up her chocolate and closed her eyes. At that moment, she would do anything to disappear from that spot.Yet she could do nothing but silently walk away. Allowing her legs to carry her to a world without Echizen Ryoma or chocolates, she melted into the shadows of the corridor.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryoma started in the direction of his house after a long tennis club practise session. He was so exhausted from both fighting off girls all day and hitting tennis balls that his arms rippled with a dull pain. Yet something else entered his mind when he saw the deserted school gates. _Now that I think of it...where is she? _Ryoma casted a brief look over his shoulder at the brick fence where Sakuno would often wait for him and frowned. _Havn't seen her all day actually...she wasn't in the first group of girls ambushing me before school this morning...and I don't think she was in the second group by my shoe locker either..._he ruffled his hair in frustration as he attempted to remember the day's events. _Funny...I never thought I would be expecting her presents... _Ryoma chuckled quietly to himself, but could not hold down a slight sense of disappointment when he arrived at his house and did not see her standing before it.

As he entered his room, he threw down his tennis bag and the three plastic bags of chocolates. _I should give those to my dad...why do they always give so much? _Ryoma sighed and began shuffling through the plastic bags, flipping open every card and scanning the names signed at the bottom. He did not know why he was looking for her name, but somehow he felt annoyed that she had not shown him her support...when she knew he needed it.

Outside, the clouds thickened and a soft drizzle played out the prelude to the night's events.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The freezing liquid pounded on Sakuno's body as she ran through the silent alleys. The wind was still biting even in late February and it froze her bones as she tore through the night. Her sandles clicked rhythmically on the footpath as she sprinted blindingly into the darkness. Breathing hard, she wiped the water and tears accumulated around her eyes and let out a soft yelp of surprise when her foot got caught in a drain and she crashed onto the concrete. Tiny whimpers escaped from her lips while she struggled to stand up, now with trickles of blood flowing down from her wounded knees. Helplessness enveloped her as she continued her journey, her saturated uniform clung to her skin. She was escaping from the reality which she found impossible to face, and also running away from her own mind which suffocated her with continuous thoughts of Echizen Ryoma. She wanted to forget the scene she witnessed that afternoon, she wanted to throw away the feelings she had grown for the boy over the years. Yet the painful truth came crashing down, worming itself into her conscience. She needed time to gather her thoughts and courage.

She chose to run.

She was to escape to a destination far far away, where quiet weeping and recollection is allowed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He couldn't seem to concentrate on his school work, even though it was his favourite subject which lay before him on the desk.

A foreboding feeling swept over Ryoma as large drops of rain beated on his window and the darkness outside seeped through the walls. He flicked his pen restlessly as the simple English sentences swam before his eyes. _Why is it that I feel so frustrated today...? Like I don't have enough energy to do anything... _Ryoma stood up and paced around his room, still in his sports gear. _Is there anything that I've forgotten? Anything I need to do? Anyone I want to see-_

His thoughts were soon cut off when his cousin opened the door and handed him the portable phone.

"Hey didn't I tell you to knock-" Ryoma began in a slightly annoyed tone.

"That can wait, this can't." His cousin gestured towards the phone with a serious expression on her face.

"...Echizen Ryoma speaking." Ryoma eyed his cousin curiously and spoke into the phone.

"Ryoma-sama? A-are you Ryoma-sama?" A shrill voice rang out from the phone, so loud as to make Ryoma's eardrum buzz seconds after he hears it.

"...What's going on?" After recognising Tomoka's voice and sensing the panic in it, Ryoma asked with a frown.

"S-sakuno has disappeared...!" Tomoka's voice trembled as she panted into the mouthpiece. "W-we've been searching for hours but no one can find her... would you happen to know where she is?"

"Ryuzaki has...?" Ryoma's voice had finally shown a bit of surprise. "...Details?"

"N-no one has seen her since afterschool...she d-didn't even go to the tennis club..." Tomoka sounded like she was on the point of bursting into tears. "She has been acting weirdly since lunchtime, b-but I didn't think much of it at the time...how stupid of me..."

_Lunchtime...? _"Where have you looked?" Ryoma questioned calmly, yet his mind was in turmoil just like hers, trying desperately to think of any places that can be associated with Ryuzaki Sakuno.

"I-I've looked over everywhere I can think of...the school, the tennis club, even the sports gear shop where we bought our first two tennis balls...Horio is heading over to all the tennis courts in which...in which you have played..." Tomoka's voice grew quiet in the last sentence but it seemed to be meaningless as Ryoma had obviously not realised the true meaning behind it.

"...Why does everyone else seems to know but me?" He demanded with a twinge of annoyance in his voice.

"B-because we thought you wouldn't care..." Tomoka sobbed.

Ryoma stood speechless. Slowly, he put down the receiver, with Tomoka's sobs still clearly hearble from it. His mind was shocked and confused. _Have I...not acted as if I care about her...? Have I..already caused incurable damage to her without realising it?_

"...Ryuzaki-sensie's granddaughter has gone missing...I'm going out to find her." He answered his cousin's questioning gaze as he pulled on his Seigaku Regular jacket and stepped out of his room.

_Have I...been acting against my heart all this time?_


	4. Chapter Four: The Necklace

The umbrella which his cousin insisted him to take did little to protect him from the rain.

Ryoma was saturated from head to toe except for his Seigaku regulars jacket which was the only thing providing dryness and warmth and had allowed him to search continuously for two hours. Large beads of water mixed with sweat ran down his face, blurring his vision and forcing him to wipe it away every few seconds. Yet despite the freezing temperature, his mind was on fire with worry and anger. Worry for the safety of Sakuno, for she had been out in the cold for over six hours, and anger for the foolishness of her for making him so worried.

Water and mud splashed up his legs as he rushed through each tennis court in which he had seen her cheer for him, which was practically every single tennis court in Tokyo. His eyes were tired from darting side to side, desperate to catch sight of a glimpse of brown braids or green uniform, yet his legs never slowed and the thought to rest never occurred to him.

_Where is that Goddamn girl? _Ryoma muttered angrily under his breath as he raked through his mind for the thousandth time for any places Sakuno could possibly go. _Five hours...she could almost go anywhere in that time...but what if she got lost...? She's never been good at directions..._Suddenly, his mind cleared and he spun around to set off in a new direction. _There is a place I havn't looked. A place important to both she and me._

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakuno leaned on the concrete pillar and cried silently. For five hours she has simply let tears flow down her cheek and force her mind to slowly edge away from any thoughts of Ryoma. Yet this wasn't easy as she was standing on the very spot where he had first spoken to her. She couldn't help but smile at this bitter memory that happened long ago, luckily the train station was quite deserted, therefore no one saw the pain which shone through her eyes as she reflected on the incident when she had given Ryoma the wrong directons to the tennis courts. She still remembered the exact details of their conversation - which was easy as they only exchanged a few words - and the first wave of admiration at his confidence and calmness. _It's all over now...he has someone he likes and that person isn't me...it'll never be me. _Sakuno closed her eyes as she felt the tears stinging them again and sighed.

"...You still owe me chocolate."

Sakuno's eyes flew open and met those of Echizen Ryoma, who was standing just inside the exit in front of her. He was leaning on the wall and was panting heavily as if he had run all the way around Tokyo to get here.

"...and I'm hungry."

Sakuno's eyebrows rose and replied cooly. "...would have thought you got enough already."

Ryoma threw down the unbrella angrily as he stepped forward.

"...Do you have any idea how long we have searched for you?"

He took another step.

"...Do you have any idea how worried everyone is?"

Another step.

"...Do you have any idea how worried I am?"

At that moment he was standing merely half a metre from her, his tall figure towering over her.

Sakuno's eyes widened when the meaning of the last sentence clicked and her head shot up.

"What did you-" But she never had to finish the question as Ryoma grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. Sakuno trembled when her cheek touched his shirt and tried to struggle but was held still by Ryoma's arms as they locked around her body.

"...I...was scared..." Ryoma's voice turned into a whisper behind her back. She was shocked to hear a slight tremble in what was always a confident voice. "...I was scared I was going to lose you."

The impact of the words was shocking enough to make Sakuno freeze in Ryoma's arms, silent and speechless.

"...I was angry at first...to think that just a girl could make me so restless and worried...and also at your foolishness for running away." Ryoma continued in a low voice, his lips just inches by her ear.

"...But before I knew it... fear took over instead...because I thought you were going to be gone forever." Ryoma's arms tightened around her. "I know it sounds foolish...but that's what I thought."

Sakuno finally found the courage to push him away, but only minutes afterwards.

"...Liar." Her eyes flashed dangerously but tears welled up in them again. "You...you have someone you like already..."

Ryoma gazed at her pale face, her eyes filled with hopelessness and her lips trembling from the cold. He took off his jacket and put it gently around her shoulders.

"...I guess you mean the girl at lunchtime today? Your friend said you've been acting weirdly since lunchtime, so I presumed..." He paused and smirked when he saw her avoiding his eyes. "But what are you exactly jealous about?"

Sakuno flushed at the word "jealous" and lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Why did you... let her kiss you...?" Sakuno asked in a tiny voice.

Ryoma paused to reflect on the incident at lunchtime. "...Because she only kissed on my cheek, I guess. And anyway, Karupin always licks my face so it really makes no difference to me..."

Sakuno still looked at Ryoma suspiciously. "...and the present that didn't look like chocolate?"

Ryoma hesitated for a while, but finally gave in to Sakuno's questioning gaze. "It's in my jacket pocket, take it out yourself."

Sakuno reached into the pocket and took out the black box. Its shiny surface glowed under the light as she carefully lifted up the lid.

She gasped at the object which lay in the box, enfolded in layers of white silk as thick as cream. It was a sparkling necklace with a single lavender feather dangling off a twisting black string. The feather curved elegantly upwards and the breathtaking colour shimmered like a jewel. Ryoma smiled satisfactorily at the amazed look on Sakuno's face as she gaped at the marvellous piece of art.

"Wear it, it's for you." Ryoma said to her.

"W-what? What...what are you talking about? This is for the girl, isn't it?" Sakuno stammered, still not over the shock at seeing such a stunning present.

Ryoma sighed and took the box from her fingers, then unhooked the necklace from the box and clasped it around Sakuno's throat. The feather rested perfectly in the hollow between her collar bones.

"...I was going to save it for White Valentines Day...but perhaps now is a better time to give it to you, I reckon it will go well with your Rapunzel costume...Anyway, do you understand now? I only wanted the girl to buy this for me...because...because it's too embarrassing for a guy-" His explanation was cut off when Sakuno lifted up her hand to silence him, her face now as hot as coal.

"...Ryoma-kun...I-I'm so sorry." Sakuno felt ashamed of herself for misunderstanding him instead of trusting him. She was sure he was going to hate her now.

Ryoma grinned and touched her flushed cheek, then without warning, pulled her towards him again. As she fell into his arms once more, he whispered softly: "I forgive you."

This time, Sakuno returned his embrace and laid her cheek on his chest, feeling the warmth of the muscles which she had so often thought about. She smiled as she felt Ryoma's arms wrap around her back.

"If any girls from your fan club sees us now...will you fend them off tomorrow at school for me?" Sakuno murmured into his shirt.

"Sure, though they'll want to kiss me in return..." Ryoma laughed when he felt the girl in his arms flinch.

"...But I'll save my lips for you."


End file.
